ISG students win best film award in India

MUSCAT: Indian School Al Ghubra (ISG) added another feather to its cap after its film ‘Happy New Year’, directed by Waseem Niyas of Class V, won the Best Student Film Award in the Junior category at the International Kids Film Festival of India (IKFFI).

The other members of his team comprised Niranjan Manoj, Sneha P.K, Aman Mohammed, Rohan Roy, Rayan P Nair, Agnel Santhosh, and Aditya MP, all students of Class V.

IKFFI is a window into the world of cinema for children in India, curated by LXL Ideas. It promotes the art of cinema through film screenings in schools and a filmmaking competition titled, “Make Cinema”.

As part of the first edition of IKFFI 2017, more than 100 films from over 25 countries were screened in six days from November 14 to 19, 2017, which was livestreamed in ISG. This inspired the students to showcase their creativity through the medium of cinema.

A large number of students enthusiastically took up the challenge of making a film. The award-winning film ‘Happy New Year’ highlighted the role played by the elderly in inculcating the right values in children, which help them face the many challenges of life.

The award will be presented to Niyas by Syed Sultan Ahmed, festival director, IKFFI, later this month. This is indeed a great recognition for the budding filmmakers of ISG. The students were very grateful to Principal Papri Ghosh, teacher in-charge Shubha Jose, and their parents for the guidance and support, which enabled them to achieve this admirable feat.